Breathless
by IAmKayDubs
Summary: Rin and Aiichirou go for a run, but not everything goes according to plan, and Rin learns something new about Ai in a way he wishes he didn't have to.


The sunlight is just beginning to trickle over the horizon, making the world even more peaceful than it usually is.

Rin is up bright and early, as usual. He doesn't think he'd even be able to sleep in if he ever had a reason to.

As he stretches, feeling the tug of his muscles against his skin, he hears Ai shifting around in his bed. He pauses, watching as Ai slowly pulls himself up, the covers hanging haphazardly off his shoulders. Ai blinks sleepily, smiling softly at Rin.

"You're up early, Ai," I Rin comments, continuing to stretch. "You up for a run?"

Ai pauses, looking hesitant. He seems to weigh some options in his mind, before nodding shortly.

"Sure!"

Ai climbs down the ladder, and Rin's chuckles at the way his shirt is scrunched and riding up, and the way his hair is sticking up in every direction.

Ai clearly isn't much of a morning person.

Before Ai can even reach the bottom rung of the ladder, Rin slips his arms around his waist and pulls him backwards, into his arms. Ai's leg twitches in surprise, but he ends up smiling and squirming around so he can face Rin. He kisses him quickly on the chin, as high as he can reach without standing on his toes, smiling lightly.

"Morning, Rin," Ai says softly, tugging on the hem of his shirt, pulling it down.

Rin murmurs a greeting in response, pulling away from Ai slowly, despite not wanting to.

Rin continues to stretch, while Ai proceeds to change out of his pajamas and into his jogging pants, tee shirt, and Samezuka jacket.

Rin goes to the bathroom for a moment, tying his hair into a low ponytail. When he steps out, he sees Ai shoving something into his jacket. When Rin looks at him, Ai just pulls his hand out of his pocket quickly.

"Something wrong?" Rin asks, quirking an eyebrow.

Ai shakes his head, smiling reassuringly. "Nope."

Rin looks at him oddly, but says nothing. Ai just keeps up his smile, not saying anything more.

The pair leaves the dorm in silence. The air outside is still. It hangs evenly, slightly warm and very comforting.

The two start off jogging. Their pace is steady, and they keep it up for a while.

Eventually, they pause, and Rin takes a huge swig of his water. He glances at Ai, his eyebrows furrowing when he notices how heavy his breathing is.

"Ai?"

Ai looks up at Rin, a bit startled. "Yes?"

Rin studies him. "Are you sure you're okay...? Are you getting a cold or something?"

Ai shakes his head. "I'm fine! I just haven't run this much in a while, so I'm not used to it."

"Should we head back?"

"No, it's fine. I need a good run every once and a while!"

Rin isn't quite convinced, but he nods slowly, and the two continue on their way.

...

A few minutes later, Rin turns his head towards Ai, ready to ask him-

Ai isn't right beside him.

Rin freezes, spinning around. To his shock, he find Ai leaning on his knees, his stance crooked, and his breathing even heavier than before.

"Ai!" Rin runs towards him, crouching on the ground in front of him. "Hey, Ai!"

Ai looks at Rin, trying to smile despite the pain showing on his face. "Sorry... Just... Just a bit out of breath. No big deal."

"No big deal? Ai, you can hardly stand, let alone run. Come on, what's up?"

Ai shakes his head, ready to retort, but Rin realizes that his legs are shaking, and he looks ready to-

Collapse.

Ai crumples like a rag doll, his knees hitting the brick path, his head falling against Rin's chest.

"Ai! Hey, Aiichirou!" Rin takes Ai by the shoulder and pushes him back a bit so he can see his face. Ai is still conscious, but his eyes are drooping, and his face is glowing bright red.

"Ai, holy crap, something is wrong..." Rin mutters, grabbing for his water bottle. He tilts Ai's face back a bit, sticking the bottle in his mouth and begging him to drink. He takes small sips, even his lips are weak.

Rin allows Ai to sink down, his body lying on Rin's lap. Rin brushes back the sweaty locks of hair on his forehead, berating himself for not being more persistent in finding out the problem earlier.

Ai's condition doesn't get any better within a minute, but Rin sees him grappling at his jacket pocket weakly. Rin reaches in himself, pulling out a little white inhaler.

An inhaler?

It all makes sense. Rin makes the connections immediately, but one question still remains.

Why would Ai hide it?

Rin hands Ai the inhaler, and Ai tries to sit up. With Rin's help, he manages. Ai shakes the inhaler as hard as he can, and takes a few deep breaths with it.

Rin is relieved when he sees that Ai is finally starting to breath better. Ai sits up fully, facing Rin, and he slowly puts the inhaler down.

Rin's face is twisted with worry when Ai's face meets his own. Ai looks away, not wanting to explain himself.

Rin takes one of Ai's hands, flinching at how hot his skin is.

"Ai, why... Why didn't you tell me something was wrong?"

"I didn't think anything would happen, honestly. I usually don't ever get this bad..."

"Why wouldn't you tell me you had asthma? You could have gotten seriously hurt, Ai."

"I know..."

"Then why?"

"Because, I thought if you knew, you'd see me as weaker... I mean, really, I can't even go on morning runs with you properly..."

"Ai, I would _not_ see you as weaker. I don't care if you have asthma, I really don't. I care if you are safe, that's it."

"I'm sorry, Rin... I should have told you."

"Just don't scare me like that anymore... Please."

Ai nods, squeezing Rin's hand. "I won't, I'm sorry..."

Rin watches Ai for a moment, making sure he is able to breath well enough.

"Okay, let's go on back, hop on." Rin says, turning so his back faces Ai.

"What?" Ai asks, not sure if he heard right.

"Come on. Climb on my back, I'll carry you back to the room."

"Rin, are you sure? Won't that be too much weight for you to carry for so long? I'm not exactly a little kid."

"Ai, unless you want me to scoop you up bridal style and carry you that way, I suggest you get on."

Ai chuckles softly. "Alright, alright," he says, as he reaches up and secures his arms around Rin's neck. Rin stands up, pulling Ai with him, and Ai secures his legs around Rin's hips.

As Rin carries Ai back, he feels Ai go a bit limp. Worried, he glances back, but he is relieved to see that Ai is only asleep, a soft smile on his face. His breathing has finally returned to a normal level, and his face is only a tiny bit pink.

Rin returns to the dorm room and places Ai on his own bed, to avoid having to haul him up the ladder. Rin watches Ai for a moment, smiling softly at how peaceful he is now.

Rin turns away, but before he can move, a hand is grappling at the back of his tank top. He turns and looks down, chuckling at a very sleepy Ai who is smiling goofily.

Ai tugs on Rin's shirt until Rin gives in. Rin motions for Ai to scoot over, leaving room for himself. He crawls onto the bed and pulls Ai against him. Ai hums happily, falling asleep once again.

As Rin relaxes, watching Ai breathing softly through his own lidded eyes, he realizes that _he_ is now the breathless one.

And he's totally okay with it.

* * *

><p>AN: Here we are with the rintori again. I can't escape the clutches of this ship!

I'm hoping the ending was okay, I thought of a few ways to end it, but this one worked best in my opinion. It's kinda cheesy, but really, you should be expecting that if you've read my fics before, I often end them very sappily!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!

-KayDubs


End file.
